Mites getting out of control...

Vanilla

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
127
I noticed last night that there seem to be several more mites on my AGM.They don't seem to be bothering her and from what I know are the ones that are generally harmless,but they are really gross and unappealing to me.How can I limit their numbers?

I will be getting some pill/sow bugs soon,once I can collect them.Until then what can I do?
 

Freddie

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Messages
268
Dry it.
Move animal to an other cage and dry both.
 

moose35

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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May 14, 2005
Messages
1,351
yep dry

i just had a problem with a few of my pedes. so i dumped all the substrate. cleaned out the cages. put them on white paper towels as a substrate. but dry paper towels. for only 2 days.but make sure you have a big water dish. and don't forget about them. after the 2 days i just kept misting them so they would have some moisture but not too much or the mites will thrive.for 2 more days. then i took out the paper towels. replaced the substrate. microwaved the cork bark on high for 8 minutes. (careful cork bark gets real hot and melts the skin on your hands after 8 minutes on high)open microwave door and let cork bark cool for a few minutes. to prevent any missing skin. and gave them their hides back after a day so i knew the were cooled off enough.

also just remember the smaller the pede the less time they can be in dry conditions. they do dessacate very fast. if keppp dry too long. for a 4"and under i would only leave bone dry for a day and a half .
just be careful keeping them really dry.

but the mites will be gone.
 

Nich

Curator of glass boxes
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Messages
836
Make sure they are the parasitic mites, not commensal or communal ones. If it is either of the latter they are not just hard to rid of but would IMO be more harmful to combat than to let be. Make sure you have a positive id on them.
 

syiware

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
189
AGM? what is it?

hello. i don't know what AGM exactly is. maybe it menas 'african giant (black) millipede?' anyway i will tell you about my bad story about mites.

several months ago i had another haitiant giant centipede(10.5cm). one day i found several mites sticked on the border of each knuckle. maybe they are from the dead crickets left on cage. but i didn't think that it's a serious problem. but you know a centipede likes the humid place and mites also like it. and such environment with enough humidity and warmth can increase the number of mites as many more than i guess for a short time. for few or several days i was busy so that i couldn't check my pede's condition well. after that, one day... i found many countless mites covered all over my pede's body. especially both flanks. it was incredible. i got my pede out of the cage and made it dry. but few days later, my pede's gone. i think the mites entered the spiracles when dry and they killed my pede.

so these days i get the remainders out of cage after feeding and try to get clean and dry. but there is a water dish(!). some times i see my pedes are drinking water with their heads. it looks very cute and lovely. i know it's not helpful to you. but your article reminds me of the accident of my pede in the past. so i wrote something here. sorry.

thanks for reading my junkies. -locke

ps: i hope that your pet escapes freely from the <EDIT> mites. :)
 
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Stylopidae

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 7, 2005
Messages
3,203
If it's the communal ones you're worried about, simply take a Q tip and vaseline and use that to dab the mites off it. Alcohol will also work if used carefully. Standard don't hit the spiracles warning, though.

Or, you could simply use a rolled up dollar bill to snort them off.
 

8+)

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
645
I noticed last night that there seem to be several more mites on my AGM.They don't seem to be bothering her and from what I know are the ones that are generally harmless,but they are really gross and unappealing to me.How can I limit their numbers?
It amazes me how so many people that keep giant creepy crawlers, are repulsed by mites! I suppose that's due in part to how little is understood about them. Also, to the fact that many are harmful. I find the ones on the AGBs fascinating. I think they make them seem like two pets in one!

I do understand wanting to limit their numbers, as I have done that as well. Mine however, seem to become agitated when there are too many mites. Just remember that removing the mites is stressful to them, so care should be given not to over do it.

I will be getting some pill/sow bugs soon,once I can collect them.Until then what can I do?
I don't believe these will help at all with the mites that are on the pedes themselves.
 

Vanilla

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
127
It amazes me how so many people that keep giant creepy crawlers, are repulsed by mites! I suppose that's due in part to how little is understood about them. Also, to the fact that many are harmful. I find the ones on the AGBs fascinating. I think they make them seem like two pets in one!

I do understand wanting to limit their numbers, as I have done that as well. Mine however, seem to become agitated when there are too many mites. Just remember that removing the mites is stressful to them, so care should be given not to over do it.



I don't believe these will help at all with the mites that are on the pedes themselves.
I have always disliked mites,as much as I love creepy crawlies and little critters,mites are one thing I cannot stand.I don't hate them enough tho,as I will continue to keep millipedes and soon centipedes.

They are the god mites,but there are ALOT and I wanna eliminate SOME.I didn't say all of them,but I wanna get the numbers down.

SEVERAL people told me that I could house pill and sow bugs with my millipede and they would keep the mite numbers down.It was in another forum.

Anyway thanks for the advice everyone!
 

insect Art

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
3
All I have ever done when the mite numbers seem to get too high is gently rinse the millipedes under warm water. It never get rid of all of them, but it takes the numbers down considerably. It doesn't seem to bother them (the pedes I mean).
 

syiware

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
189
All I have ever done when the mite numbers seem to get too high is gently rinse the millipedes under warm water. It never get rid of all of them, but it takes the numbers down considerably. It doesn't seem to bother them (the pedes I mean).
i don't think so. :embarrassed:
as you said, they could be rinsed some away from the pede. but not all of them. and the ventral sides including legs would be wet after washing under water. then, number of mites would even increase more as many as countless. because enough moisture and warmth are the best for mite's propagation.
-locke
 
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